Tag: South Island

Today’s selection is a table wine from New Zealand’s South Island that I purchased at Iqaluit’s local beer and wine store. I wasn’t terribly taken with it, given the price, but it is still eminently drinkable…

Winery: Stoneleigh Vineyards

Price: $18.95 CDN

Alcohol: 13.5%

Sugar: 3 g/L

This Pinot Noir is light ruby in color and slightly effervescent on decanting. The nose is aromatic but the fruit is indistinct and almost matched by a vegetal, and also somewhat meaty quality. There are some woody notes and an ephemeral hint of spice. The body is medium light and the effect is dry with a high acidity that impacts immediately. The tannins assert themselves only near the end and, though not strong, have a noticeable astringency. Sour red fruit dominates, but this is matched by a strong forest mushroom presence. There is some woodiness, but not a great deal else in the way of highlights. It is not bad, but not especially interesting.

Two summers ago, I tried the 2014 vintage of this particular Pinot Noir and my notes, though brief, were not all that complimentary and I gave it a two star rating. I gave three stars to a 2013 Merlot from the same winery, but again, my notes didn’t sing high praises and I was thus not expecting a great deal here. As it happens, though, this selection turned out very nicely…

Winery: Kim Crawford Wines

Price: $20.00 at SAQ

Alcohol: 13%

Sugar: 2.7 g/L

The color is a medium dark ruby and I noted a tiny bit of effervescence on decanting, although this dispersed quickly. The nose is muted, though very slightly aromatic, and there is a base fruitiness of raspberry and cherry along with a very faint floral scent. The body is medium light and the texture quite smooth. It is off dry and the acidity quite strong with tannins that present intermittently yet are still nicely prominent here and there. The dominant impact is of tangy, almost citrus-y, red-fruit, and this is complemented with a nice woodiness, and a faint touch of pepper. It is a nice refreshing sipping wine.